100 Theme Challenge
by China Dolly
Summary: 100 short chapters featuring the budding relationship between Neji and his daughter Ami-chan and Neji and his friends Shikamaru and Sasuke. Yaoi, eventual ShikaSasuNeji!
1. Theme 001: Introduction

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

**001 Introduction**

Neji Hyuuga had always thought his life to be quite uneventful.

He had a job he knew he would get the moment he was old enough to understand what working was. What else was to be expected? His uncle was the owner of their family law firm Hyuuga Incorporated after all.

He had a good-sized apartment he bought with his own money in a good neighbourhood.

He had good friends. Good friends that didn't get him into trouble. Sasuke Uchiha was too much like himself to do anything out of the ordinary and Shikamaru Nara was too lazy. He'd known Sasuke for as long as he could remember, their families closely intertwined through their companies. He'd met Shikamaru when he moved into his apartment a few months. He was the complete opposite of Neji himself with his lazy attitude so he hadn't expected they would get along. But they did. Shikamaru turned out to be great at calling for take-out when Neji came home from work late in the evening again and then there was the fact that the other was almost unbeatable at shogi and most other games.

It all came down to the only conclusion one could draw from Neji's life, really. It was average, uneventful and to some perhaps even boring.

Little did he know, that was all about to change.

With a frown Neji watched the contents of his 'fridge. He [i]really[/i] had to go and do some groceries today. True, he'd thought the same last week but his 'fridge hadn't been so glaringly empty back then so he hadn't deemed a visit to the grocery store completely vital. Now it was.

With a sigh he closed the refrigerator and turned to his cupboards. He needed to eat something before going out. Maybe he had some cereal lying around that he'd forgotten about, he thought.

Then suddenly someone knocked his front-door. He glanced at the clock on the wall – 11.15 – and wondered who it could be. He'd arranged to meet Sasuke later today, would go to dinner at his uncle's house tomorrow so the only person he imagined it could be was Shikamaru. Although on a Saturday the other was bound to be still asleep.

He quickly made his way to the front door but after he opened the door he froze when he saw who was on the other side.

"Keiko? What are you doing here?" He asked the black-haired woman in front of him. She still looked as attractive as she had about a year ago when he'd shortly dated her. Her black hair was slightly curly and cut into a short coup and her brown eyes still had that twinkle in them. Her personality, though, didn't match her looks at all and Neji had quickly decided a relationship wouldn't be worth his time. She'd been fine with it back then so he wondered what she was doing here a year later.

Keiko huffed and bend down to the ground to pick something up.

"What the hell..." Neji mumbled and he could only stare.

"This," she said, holding the baby-car-seat complete with baby out to Neji. "Is yours."

Neji stared at the baby held out to him, wondering if Keiko had gone insane. He'd know if he had a child, right? "Keiko, I'm sure this is a misunderstanding." He said.

Before Keiko could reply, the baby made a soft noise and opened its eyes to curiously peek at the new person.

Neji's eyes widened and he took a step back, reaching out a hand to hold the doorpost when he was met with opalescent and lavender-tinted eyes. "Fuck,"

"So, you named her Ami." Neji said.

After his revelation that this baby – Ami-chan – was most definitely his he had ushered Keiko inside. He didn't want to make a spectacle in the middle of the hallway of his apartment building. And now, here he was. Sitting on the couch with Ami in her carrier next to him and Keiko silently watching them from her spot in the comfortable chair left of the couch.

"Don't complain and tell me you don't like it." Keiko said with a shrug and then added: "Besides, it's just a name."

Neji blinked and watched Keiko, a bit shocked at the woman's indifference towards the whole situation. He felt like pointing out to her that a name was rather important but refrained from doing so. There were more important things to discuss.

"Why are you here?" He asked her, voice a bit on the cold side but he thought she deserved it.

A small smirk quirked Keiko's lips and she brushed a few strands of stray hairs out of her face. "To drop Ami off, of course." She easily explained.

"To drop her off? She's not some borrowed piece of material that you can just drop off, Keiko." Neji said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"See, that makes you a better parent than I am." Keiko shrugged with a sly smile. "You'd take better care of her. I'm not a receptionist anymore, Neji. I'm a hostess now. You don't want your daughter growing up in the kind of environment I'll create for her, now do you?"

Neji pinched the bridge of his nose. "And you thought you could just hand her over to me and be done with it?"

"Well, of course. I mean, you're her father." Keiko easily said with a wave of her hand.

With a sigh Neji turned to watch Ami, who was now sleeping peacefully. He was this baby's father, he thought. How utterly strange. He didn't feel like he was a father at all. Which of course was probably due to the fact that Keiko hadn't involved him in anything. Not the pregnancy, not the birth, nothing. She merely saw him as a way to get rid of something she didn't need. He couldn't help but feel angry because of that. Because of her lack of affection.

"Then why didn't you tell me before? Why do I need to find out that I have a child now that [i]you[/i] are bored of her instead of when you found out you were pregnant?" Neji demanded. He would take Ami in if Keiko decided to get up and leave. Of course he would. Whether he wanted to or not was not a question to be asked, wasn't it? She was his child and if her mother didn't want her... well, then she would need a father.

Keiko blanched slightly at the question and then huffed, almost haughtily so. "How was I supposed to know that she was yours?"

Neji frowned. He had always guessed she was an unfaithful woman unable to stay with one man. But to hear it being said so openly took him back slightly. He didn't comment on the fact that while they'd been dating Keiko had obviously slept around. Instead, he said: "But the moment she opened her eyes you knew she was mine."

Keiko had the decency to look at least slightly guilty for that, but of course that could be fake as well. "I wanted to raise her on my own first." She said and then shrugged. "But she was with one of my friends more often than she was with me so they told me to hand her over to you." She then stood up and looked at Neji with a smirk. "And it's not like you can't take her. She's your daughter."

When Keiko walked towards the front door Neji stood up and turned to watch the woman angrily. "You can't just leave her here like this." He said and rounded the couch to stand in front of the mother of his child. "She's your daughter, don't you have any sense of responsibility at all?"

"No," Keiko shook her head and then sighed. "I thought I could handle a kid so I didn't do an abortion. I regret it now, though. So in the end, she'll be better off with you, rather than be with a mother who wished she'd never had a daughter."

Then she smirked and patted Neji on the shoulder. "Well, good luck." Then she turned around and dashed for the front door.

"I'm a lawyer, Keiko. You can bet all your money on it, I'm going legal with this." Neji warned the woman about to leave her child. With him.

Opening the front-door, Keiko turned around in the doorway and rolled her eyes at Neji. "Sure, Neji. Go ahead. Good luck with that." She said and then turned around, loudly pulling the front door close behind her.

Neji sighed and then startled. Apparently, the loud bang of the door closing had awoken Ami-chan and she was now bawling for attention. Loudly.

"Fuck."


	2. Theme 027: Foreign

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto**  
>Note:<strong> I'm not a mother and I've never taken care of a baby myself. Just a warning that in that regard the story can be a bit lacking. Tips are VERY welcome, though! (aka what do you do when... / when does the baby learn what/do what/etc... ANY information, really XD) Drop me a note or a review if you've got any tips for me... :)

**027 Foreign**

"Ami-chan..." Neji looked at the baby-girl in the carrier almost awkwardly. [i]His[/i] baby-girl.

He swallowed.

Ami, though, didn't take any notice to her father's uncertainty and merely kept crying.

Releasing a shuddering breath he sat down on the couch next to the carrier. There were a million things he had to do. Calling his uncle to explain the situation, letting Sasuke know he definitely wouldn't be able to meet him this afternoon and dashing by Shikamaru's to ask for some of the baby stuff he must have loitering around were amongst those things.

But first he needed to get Ami to quiet down a bit.

After taking a deep breath in an attempt to re-assure himself, he released the belt on the carrier. That made Ami cry even louder and Neji cringed. Was she afraid of him or just in need of attention? He prayed it was the last but it could also be a hundred of other things. He now thought he was lucky, having been around Hinata a lot when she'd just given birth to her son. While it hadn't taught him how to take care of a child on his own, it had learned him a few basics he wouldn't have known otherwise. Like holding a baby properly.

He slowly and gently lifted a loudly protesting Ami out of her carrier. He raised her a bit and leaned her against his shoulder, wrapping a hand around her bottom while placing the other gently against the back of her head to support her head and neck. [i]That[/i] was something Hinata had showed him to do before he'd even held his nephew.

Having Ami in his arms felt strangely uncomfortable. It just didn't feel right that he was holding a baby. He would have to get used to it, though, which only made the situation stranger.

After a few seconds of simply letting Ami rest against his shoulder the girl's cries got softer, if only a bit.

Neji sighed in relief and started to gently rock her up and down in his arms a bit like he'd seen Hinata do when Ryouta was crying. "There, there, Ami-chan." He cooed softly, hoping that for some strange reason she'd find the sound of his voice comforting.

After another few minutes of gentle rocking and soft cooing Ami's cries quieted down and Neji couldn't help but smile. Holding Ami like this felt somewhat strange, but not in the same way that holding Ryouta had felt strange. He hadn't felt the kind of responsibility towards his nephew he felt when holding Ami. Moreover, however strange it sounded, some part inside of him [i]knew[/i] that this was his daughter. And even though he hadn't been involved in Keiko's pregnancy, or in Ami's birth, not even in the first months of her life, he just couldn't help but love her. [i]His daughter[/i] with her pretty eyes that looked just like his.

"Ouch," He called out and frowned a bit. His daughter who was now tugging at his long hair with her tiny but curious hands. "I don't think that's a very good idea, Ami." He told her with a chuckle and then decided he really needed to contact Shikamaru and Hinata to ask for whatever they'd be willing to give to him.

"I'm going to put you down for a few seconds now, Ami-chan, okay?" He said softly when he lowered the baby back into her carrier again. "I really have to give Shikamaru a call." And he wouldn't be able to do that with a baby in his hands.

Neji quickly got his phone out of his pocket and rang Shikamaru. it was a bit ridiculous considering the other lived next door but he didn't want to leave Ami alone.

"Yeah?"

It was the only greeting Neji got and from the drowsiness in Shikamaru's voice he knew he'd woken his friend up.

He nervously bit his upper-lip, not used to asking for help. But he [i]needed[/i] a bit of advice. And, more importantly, he needed stuff to take care of Ami and he knew that both his friend and his cousin could lend him a few things. "Shikamaru, I need your help."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed on the other end of the line.

It was then that Ami decided that [i]she[/i] wanted to be the centre of attention and started to cry again.

Shikamaru asked: "Is that a baby, Neji?"

"It is," Neji sighed and reached out a hand to rock Ami's carrier in a idle attempt to calm her down. "She's... my daughter." It was still difficult to say. The idea was still strange. But he didn't have time to think about things and get used to the idea.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Then, Shikamaru said: "I'll be right over."

"Wow," Shikamaru mumbled when he saw Ami for the first time. "Her eyes, they're like a copy of yours."

"I know," Neji nodded, still not sure if he was delighted with that or very frightened.

Sitting down onto the couch, next to Neji and Ami, and curiously peeking at the baby, Neji's baby, Shikamaru asked: "So what happened?"

Neji smirked. "Well, you might not realize it but when a man and a woman have sex, as opposed to a man and a man, the woman can get pregnant."

Shikamaru's lips quirked up a bit in amusement and he shook his head. "Troublesome."

Then, Neji's smirk dropped and instead he winced slightly when Ami curiously pulled his hair again. "She's a bit fond of my hair, I think." He said and re-arranged his hold on Ami a bit so he could shake his hair away from her grip.

"She just needs to hold something." Shikamaru chuckled and reached out a finger so the tiny girl could hold onto that instead. He then glanced at Neji and said: "You must be freaking out."

A soft sigh passed Neji's lips and he tightened his hold on Ami for a fleeting moment. "Yeah," he admitted softly, looking down to the ground. Shikamaru was one of the few persons in his life that he felt he could admit weakness to. But that didn't mean it made him feel any better.

But he [i]was[/i] freaking out. Being a father, having a baby to raise or just the fact that he now [i]had[/i] a baby to raise, it was all so foreign to him. They were all things he'd never imagined to have at this stage in his life. And now suddenly he'd gone from being a single young man with a good career to being a single father. Because he was quite certain that whatever he did, Keiko wouldn't be raising Ami.

"Don't worry," Shikamaru shrugged with a small smile. "It will be fine."

Neji swallowed. He wasn't so sure things would be fine. What if he messed up? This wasn't just something to take care of. If he did something wrong now... he could ruin Ami's life.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru shook his head at seeing the insecure expression on Neji's face. He then reached out to place a comforting hand on his friend's knee. "You'll be a great father. You're already worrying about her. That's a good thing."

Neji felt touched the other would go through the trouble to comfort him like this but he still hesitated. "I don't have anything. I mean, it's not like I had time to prepare..."

"You'll be able to get a lot from both Hinata and me. Besides, stuff can be bought. Don't worry about that." Shikamaru shrugged and chuckled when Ami pulled and tugged on his finger a bit. Then he glanced up at Neji and smiled at his friend. "So, what happened?"


	3. Theme 012: Insanity

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**012 Insanity**

Never before had Neji been so grateful for the fact that both Hinata and Shikamaru had had some pacifiers, diapers and all those other basic things lying around.

Truthfully, he had been surprised to hear that Shikamaru helped his late shogi teacher's wife raise her newborn girl but now, he was very grateful for that.

At least now he had the bare minimum he would need to get through his first night with Ami. Then, tomorrow, Hinata would take him out shopping to buy whatever he needed and probably more. His uncle had promised to pay for it, after all.

The past afternoon had been completely insane with everyone – including his uncle Hiashi – fussing over Ami and no-one truly worrying about what the future would bring. Not that there was much to talk about. It was obvious Ami wasn't going to go back to Keiko even if the woman wanted to and all that was left now was raising this little girl.

That, though, was exactly the thing that Neji worried about no matter how many times he was told that things would be fine. But at least he wouldn't be alone. While Hiashi had said that Neji was now responsible for Ami it seemed that everyone was only too willing to help him out.

That, at least, had given him some peace of mind.

He felt like the living dead when he went to bed. It had been a tiring day after all.

Besides all the emotions overflowing from finding out he had a daughter and he was now going to raise her he'd also done a lot. Sure, he hadn't gone out to buy stuff since he was lucky to have others take care of that for him. He'd cleaned up the second bedroom he used as a study but had over time become more of a storage-room. But he needed that room now. They had cleared it from most of the junk and other things were put in boxes so the crib and changing table he'd gotten from Hinata would fit in the room. It was a temporary solution until Neji had bought everything he needed, put away everything he didn't need and of course, until the walls were painted.

Laying in bed now that everything was over for the day and Ami was sleeping peacefully in her own room, Neji fell asleep right away. While he had been a bit restless and nervous about leaving Ami all alone in her room, the moment his head hit the pillow he'd been asleep. He didn't remember when the last time was he'd felt this tired.

When Neji woke up it was still dark and he groggily blinked at the alarm on his night-stand. It was only two o'clock and he frowned. How strange, he thought. He usually never woke up during the night.

He turned himself around in his double-bed with a yawn and turned and wriggled a bit until he was comfortable again.

Then he sat up in his bed when the sound of soft crying reached his ears.

"Ami!" His eyes widened in panic and he was out of his bed and standing next to his daughter's crib within seconds.

He turned on the small, dull desk lamp to give him some light to see and he softly and carefully stroked a finger up her cheek, which was red from anger and wet from tears. "I'm here now, Ami-chan." He cooed softly and quickly looked around the bed for her pacifier. She'd had it when she went to bed...

"Ah," finding the dark-blue pacifier with a penguin on it, he gently put it in-between Ami's lips with a hopeful smile. "There you go, was that what you were looking for?"

But Ami kept crying and the pacifier fell down to the mattress again.

Right, so the pacifier wasn't the problem, Neji concluded. "Sssh, Ami-chan." He softly tried to calm her down while he tried to think of the things Hinata had told him this afternoon.

Maybe... she needed her diaper changed. He couldn't imagine that, though. He'd changed her diaper right before putting her to bed and that had only been a few hours ago. Then again, it [i]had[/i] been a few hours ago and it could very possibly have woken his little girl up.

Biting his lip softly, not having enjoyed changing Ami's diaper earlier that day, Neji reached out to lift the crying baby out of her crib. He put her up on one arm, his hand securely placed against the back of her head and smelled. It didn't smell any different, he thought, but then again it would probably only smell really bad if she had pooped.

Changing his hold on her so he could move around the room safely he decided with a sigh that perhaps it was just best to change her. He turned on the light of the room and moved to lay Ami down on top of the changing table.

He turned to look at the list Hinata had made for him, telling him how to change a diaper. He'd claimed he hadn't needed it when she made it but now he was glad he had. Gods I'm so clueless about everything. He thought to himself, panicking slightly. He was never going to be able to do this. Certainly not on his own.

He leaned heavily against the changing table for a moment, almost forlornly watching Ami.

Right, he told himself, change her diaper. He could worry about his nervousness and insecurity when Ami was asleep again.

Worrying his lip and with a frown of concentration on his face he set to changing Ami, which went easier than he'd expected. She did wriggle around a lot and he was still afraid she'd maybe fall off of the table but in the end he changed her and it all looked quite good tucked into her yellow bodysuit. With a satisfied smile he stroked her cheek again and leaned down to kiss her forehead gently. "Isn't that better?" He asked softly.

But it wasn't better. Ami merely kept crying and by now, Neji was getting worried. She kept crying so hard and her entire face was red...

He took a breath in an attempt to calm himself down. Panicking now wasn't going to do Ami any good and now he needed to take care of her.

What had Hinata said? He tried to think back to all the reasons she had listed as to why a baby could be crying. He'd tried the pacifier, changed her diaper... could it be she just wanted to be held?

"Is that it, huh?" He softly asked and picked Ami up, holding her close to his shoulder and gently pressing a kiss on top of her head. "You just want to be held?"

Rocking her in his arms he started walking around the room, softly telling Ami that it was all fine and that she should just go back to sleep. He felt like he would fall over soon if she didn't go back to sleep. He was so tired, worn out completely and this lack of sleep surely wasn't doing him any good.

After fifteen minutes of soft murmurs and rocking, Ami finally calmed down and slowly but surely she stopped crying."Did you like that, hmm?" Neji felt both relieved and proud he'd been able to calm her down. Now all he had to do was get her back in her crib so he could go and get himself some sleep.

When she was put down into her crib, though, Ami blinked up at Neji for a few seconds. And when he let her go to replace the blanket she started crying again.

"Ah!" Neji startled slightly at the sudden cries and within a few seconds he was holding Ami again. "So that's how it is." He mumbled when after being picked up and rocked in her father's arms, Ami's sobs subsided again.

With a soft sigh he moved to the living-room, sitting down to the couch with a yawn. He remembered that Hinata often complained about waking up throughout the night to have to rock Ryouta to sleep.

"Guess you're more trouble than I thought." He told Ami with a small smile.

Roughly twenty minutes later Neji's body jolted and he blinked at the empty room, taking a deep breath. He looked around disorientated for a few seconds and then noticed that he had Ami still in his arms.

And she was sleeping soundly.

Realizing he must've been dozing while rocking her to sleep he let out a relieved breath. Both at the fact that she was asleep and the fact that nothing had happened while he'd almost fallen asleep.

Too tired to worry about what could've happened, though, he brought Ami to her room and put her back into her bed.

After watching her for a few moments he made his way to his own room again and slipped beneath the covers. He fell asleep almost right away.

Little did he know that in two-and-a-half hours, Ami would be wide awake and calling for attention again.


	4. Theme 069: Annoyance

**069 Annoyance**

"So you're painting Ami's room, huh?" Sasuke asked, leaning against the doorpost of Neji's bedroom while watching Neji painting the off-white wall a pastel yellow.

Neji put down the brush and turned to watch Sasuke. Was it just him or did the other look slightly irritated? "Yeah, I've got to make this into a baby-room now."

Frowning slightly Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Of course." He nodded. He understood that much. "And Shikamaru's helping you?"

Neji nodded with a small smile. "He is. He's been a great help so far." Then he frowned slightly. "Where is he, by the way?"

Sasuke shrugged, not caring in the least where Neji's neighbour had run off to as long as he stayed there. "Said he had to do something."

Some childish side of him didn't like the other because he was also a friend of Neji. And while he did want Neji to have other friends besides him, he always felt a bit jealous of Neji's other friends. It was his own fault, though, for not telling the other of his feelings. How could Neji be considerate of them if he didn't know?

Neji shrugged. "Maybe he's checking up on Hinata."

Sasuke frowned. "Hinata?" Neji's cousin was around as well?

Neji blinked, wondering why Sasuke was asking all of these questions. Usually the other wasn't so curious but maybe something was bothering him? "Yeah, she offered to watch Ami-chan while Shikamaru and I paint."

Sasuke nodded and then sighed softly. He didn't like that Shikamaru – and now Hinata too – was helping Neji out so much with Ami. Sure, his friend needed all the help he could get. But he just wished that Neji would ask _him_ to help instead of Shikamaru. They'd known each other for such a long time and even though he found himself crushing on Neji that had little to do with it. It was true that he felt jealous of Shikamaru for spending so much time with Neji. But he also felt hurt because Neji didn't trust him enough to give him a call.

"Sasuke?" Neji asked, slightly worried. His friend looked troubled by something and he had gotten awfully quiet all of a sudden. He hoped the other wasn't angry with him for something he'd done. He cared a lot about Sasuke, even though he never said it out loud, and having his friend angry with him would hurt.

Looking up at Neji, Sasuke smiled a somewhat clipped smile at his friend. "I'm fine." He easily said with a shrug, casually adding: "You know you can always call me if you need help, right?"

Neji blinked at those words. "Of course." He said and then after a moment, when he realized exactly what Sasuke was implying, he added: "I just didn't want to bother you. I know you've got a job to do and don't have as much time on your hands as Shikamaru does."

He wasn't sure exactly why he felt _this_ bad for not having invited Sasuke over. Maybe it was because his friend seemed a bit upset over it? It wasn't often that he saw Sasuke upset and even though he never did, he felt like hugging his friend. He thought that strange, for it was an urge he'd never felt before. Maybe he was changing on an emotional level now that he had Ami?

Sasuke felt slightly happy with Neji's words. It meant his friend was being considerate of him instead of just forgetting him. Something that deep down he felt a bit afraid of. Neji was growing closer and closer to Shikamaru and with the other being Neji's next door neighbour it was easier for them to see each other often.

Thinking on what to reply to Neji's words, Sasuke softly worried his lip. He didn't want to shrug this off but he didn't feel like talking about this too much either. Neji hadn't meant any harm, after all. Besides, he didn't want to say too much and reveal his crush to his friend, did he?

Neji calmly watched while Sasuke seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments. He hadn't realized it up until now, but whenever his friend was thinking his features seemed to soften. Almost like while thinking he unconsciously lowered his barriers and showed a bit of his real self to the world. Nervously, he noted that he liked that look on Sasuke's face and that he even felt a bit disappointed when it went.

"Need any help with something?" Sasuke asked after a few moments of silence. He didn't want things to become awkward between them and he guessed that if he didn't speak up soon that was exactly what would happen.

Neji shrugged and made a gesture. "Grab a brush." He said and then he took in Sasuke's clothes. He was wearing a suit. "Maybe that's not a very good idea..." He trailed off.

"You can make dinner." Shikamaru suddenly spoke up while sauntering back into the apartment.

Sasuke started slightly at the other's voice and he turned to give Shikamaru a quick glance. Turning his dark eyes back to Neji, he saw that his friend was looking at him and he shrugged with a sigh. He had come here to help out, he wouldn't be saying no just because he felt childishly jealous of another of Neji's friends.

"Hey, Sasuke?" Neji stood in the doorway of his kitchen, watching as Sasuke prepared an easy, quick meal for four. He'd draped his suit-jacket over the back of a chair and was stirring a pan with the sleeves of his white button-up pushed up 'till his elbows. Their conversation kept bothering him and he felt like something was wrong with his friend.

Sasuke hummed in reply, not turning from the stir-fry he was making since he didn't want to ruin it. Neji would understand.

Grabbing a chair, Neji turned it so while he sat down he was facing Sasuke's back. It was strange that he seemed to have softened up over the past few days. Before, he would never have worried about Sasuke being mad. He'd get over it, he always thought. But now, this time, somehow something felt different. He just couldn't put his finger onto it.

"I... uh, thanks." Neji said eventually. "For helping me out." It wasn't exactly what he'd wanted to say. But he just couldn't ask if the other was mad or offended. He might've softened up, he still wasn't a girl.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile at those words and he ducked his head a little. "Anytime." He shrugged. Even though Neji could've known that their friendship wouldn't end now that Neji had a daughter to raise.

"So, I saw some sleeping gear on the couch." He then said casually. Maybe Neji was going to sleep over at Hinata's place because Ami's room was being painted. Not that it would be necessary. He could just put Ami in his own bedroom and she'd be fine. But Sasuke had already seen that when it came to his daughter, Neji was quite overprotective and fussy.

Neji blinked at the sudden change of subject but merely shrugged it off. "Yeah, Ami and I'll be spending the night at Shikamaru's place. Just to be sure, you know?"  
>Sasuke spluttered a bit and turned around to watch Neji. "Shikamaru's place?" He wasn't sure what to feel about that. Sure, the other lived next door so it [i]was[i] easy but he couldn't help but wonder if maybe he just wasn't good enough in this situation. Shikamaru had helped raise a child so that made him quite useless, didn't it?

Neji frowned at the reaction he got at those words and he carefully nodded. What was wrong with Sasuke? He'd never seen his friend so insecure. Something [i]was[/i] wrong. There had to be.

"There's... nothing wrong with that, right?" He asked after a few moments, still unsure as to why Sasuke was acting the way he did.

Sasuke looked up when he heard footsteps nearing and saw Shikamaru casually stop in the doorway of the kitchen. The other was looking at him and he pushed his lips together, wondering if he'd been listening to their conversation.

"No, no there's nothing wrong with that." He shook his head with a clipped smile at Neji and then turned back to his stir-fry. He really needed to stop acting like a brat.

"I'll get Hinata for dinner." Shikamaru suddenly said. "Want me to take your overnight bag?"

"Oh yeah, please do." Neji replied.

Sasuke scowled.


	5. Theme 015: Silence

**IMPORTANT note: **Sorry for the long wait for all my updates! I'm currently working on my Bachelor graduation thesis so until halfway through June I'll be terribly busy with that and won't have a lot (if any) time to write. Updates until then will be slow, my apologies!  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own Naruto

**015 Silence**

"You're such a troublesome little girl." Shikamaru told the baby girl in his arms with a gentle smile.

On any other night he would have simply ignored the person that had dared to wake him up. But this was Ami and she wasn't a person that could take care of herself yet. She was a tiny, selfish baby crying because she was hungry or needed a diaper change.

About forty-five minutes ago it was hunger that tormented the baby girl that had taken possession of his spare bedroom for a night. Her father was currently sleeping soundly on the couch, because the moment Neji had gone to bed Shikamaru had nicked the baby monitor away from him and put it in his own bedroom instead. Neji needed a break.

Shikamaru put a dozing Ami back down into her bed, waiting almost nervously for her to start crying again. She had when he'd first put her back and had ended up cuddling her for another few minutes. But this time when Ami was put down she simply kept dozing and Shikamaru grinned in triumph.

He stood there for a few more moments then, simply watching this little girl sleep and listened to her soft, barely audible breathing in the quiet of the night.

With a yawn Shikamaru made his way back to his own bedroom, only to halt when he saw Neji sleeping soundly on his living-room couch. He couldn't help but smile at the strange view.

He sauntered over to the couch and sat down onto the small coffee table standing in front of it, studying his friend's sleeping face with a tender smile coming to his lips. He liked the silence of the night. While it frightened some, to him it felt comfortable and that feeling was bigger now that he saw Neji's unguarded face. He looked young like this, like he didn't have a care in the world.

He hadn't known Neji very long yet but he'd noticed right away that the other was the complete opposite of him. Neji was serious, had a good career going for him and whereas he himself was laidback, Neji never gave himself the time to relax. He'd feared that with Neji having a daughter now he would do the same as he'd always done and even after a few days he had turned out to be right. Neji just kept going and going, not really asking anyone for help even though he knew he needed it.

So when Neji had accepted his offer of a couch to sleep one after he'd expressed his worry for Ami with the stench of paint in the entire apartment, he was happy. Not that he thought Neji [i]needed[/i] to stay over at his place. Sleeping in his own bedroom together with Ami probably would've been good enough. But having Neji sleep over meant he could help the other get a break. One which Neji desperately needed. It wasn't as if his friend had gotten any time to prepare for having to raise a daughter. He'd just fallen right into it and he hadn't given himself the time to process it all.

So Shikamaru was glad that he could help his friend get a break, if only for a night. But he himself knew that a good night of sleep could do miracles. Kurenai had felt like that too, when Nobuko was still in his early months. And while Ami didn't cry a lot compared to other babies Neji did have to get up a few times a night to take care of her.

Raising his eyes, Shikamaru watched his friend with a small smile. He hadn't minded taking care of Nobuko back then and he didn't mind taking care of Ami now. Back then he'd helped because Kurenai had been Asuma's wife, and Asuma had been an important person to him when growing up. But now he was helping because he wanted to help Neji.

And, he'd found, even though he complained it was troublesome, it wasn't. He actually enjoyed helping Neji out, comforting Ami when needed, doing groceries when Neji was feeding Ami or maybe even making dinner while Neji was trying to get some work done while Ami was asleep.

Looking at Neji, he couldn't help but be surprised at how much he enjoyed this. Not just helping his friend out but the feeling of being together. Like a family. It was almost like he wasn't helping his friend raise his daughter but as if he was helping his _lover_ help raise their child.

His eyes widened slightly at his own thoughts and a light, embarrassed flush settled on his cheeks. He'd always known he wanted children. They were troublesome but he had always wanted to raise his own child. Perhaps that was why he enjoyed being with Neji and Ami so much. Because it showed him what he could have.

He was gay. He'd known for as long as he could remember and the chances of him ever getting his own child were slim. Certainly since gay marriage wasn't allowed in Japan. So this situation showed him what he could have, what he wanted to have. Only Neji wasn't his boyfriend. He was merely a friend that relied on him because he needed to.

He had to admit he wouldn't mind if that changed. That he would be Neji's boyfriend and could help the other in raising his daughter. Not that he was in love with Neji, or even crushing on the other. But the idea of having a family was always there in the back of his mind. Neji had turned out to be a good, caring father. And Shikamaru couldn't help but feel attracted to that new side of his friend.

He took a small breath at that, his heart skipping at beat. He felt slightly nervous because he was already attracted to Neji, but that wasn't anything to be surprised about. He couldn't deny that Neji was handsome. Perhaps even the best looking man he'd ever seen. Certainly the best looking man he'd ever been close to. He'd lie if he would claim not to want to spend a night with Neji. But that was just physical attraction and Neji was as straight as a board. He had a child as proof of that.

Somehow, he felt a bit disappointed about that. Not because he was in love with Neji, he _knew_ he wasn't, not now, at least. But he had to admit that if his friend had been into men he certainly would've tried.

Suddenly, he sighed, breaking the silence of the night with the slightly irritated sound.

This was how it all started usually, wasn't it? First he would become friends with a guy, a straight guy. Then he'd feel attracted to his friend and things would get worse from there. His feelings would grow and he would eventually end up hurt with a friend that didn't want to be friends with him anymore.

This could become what his friend Chouji called 'the Kiba-affair' all over again.

He raised his eyes to watch Neji's sleeping face. He looked serene like this, long shadows falling over his face while sleeping through the night.

With a small smile he shook his head. When he'd fallen for Kiba he had been young, stupid and impulsive. Back then he hadn't even hesitated for a moment to confess his feelings when he had the chance. Things were different now. He wasn't a hormonal teenager anymore that felt he'd die if he didn't get laid.

Besides, why get ahead of himself? Even though he could easily think of a hundred possibilities of what would happen within a minute that wasn't necessary now. He wasn't in love with Neji, so there was nothing to worry about. He just liked the idea of a family. So this was good practice for later, wasn't it? And he'd be helping a friend out as well.

With a yawn he stood up. It was about time he'd be trying to get some sleep. Ami would probably wake up again in a few hours.


	6. Theme 016: Questioning

**Comment: **As some of you may know I'm working very hard on my Bachelor thesis at the moment. In fact, the deadline is May 29. But you might be happy to hear that even though I'm working on the thesis, the past few days I've found that I'm writing (a bit) more than the past few months. So that's good. Apologies, though, that you all have to wait such a long time for updates. Let's just say I think that will be over once I've graduated.

**016 Questioning**

_Neji's still sleeping at my place. Why don't we meet up at Neji's instead? Shikamaru_

Sasuke frowned at the screen of his phone, feeling annoyed. He hadn't expected Shikamaru to text him back from _Neji's phone_. It also irritated him that he didn't know what exactly Shikamaru wanted. Meet up at Neji's place? Was he now going to help him doing what he'd initially wanted to do with Neji?

A harsh sigh passed Sasuke's lips as he rode the elevator up to Neji's apartment. He'd offered to help Neji move all the furniture back into Ami's room. But it seemed that now he would be moving furniture with Shikamaru instead of Neji. And in the end, Neji would be happy that they'd done it as a surprise for him. Together.

That wasn't what he wanted. He'd wanted to help Neji out, be there for him now that he felt his friend needed him. And he wanted to show Neji that he could call upon his help, too. That he didn't need to depend on just Shikamaru.

He'd been pretty hurt when Neji told him he hadn't want to bother him with asking for help. He understood the other's reasoning but that didn't mean he wasn't hurt by it. He wanted Neji to ask him for help, to depend on him when he needed to. And with the text he'd sent this morning, he'd hoped to get the chance to show Neji just that.

Sasuke sighed to himself.

He wasn't sure when exactly he'd fallen for Neji but he'd been worrying a lot about useless things since then. Things that made him feel like a woman for thinking them.

He really needed to stop doing that.

Sitting on Neji's couch with Shikamaru next to him, Sasuke couldn't help but feel strangely awkward.

He'd all but ignored the other when he'd entered the apartment and now that he was inside he didn't know what to do. All he knew was that he didn't like Shikamaru. Or rather, he didn't like the way it felt as if the other was taking _his_ place in Neji's life.

"Something to drink?" Shikamaru suddenly asked.

Sasuke had to admit that on the inside he was startled slightly when Shikamaru spoke up. On the outside, though, he merely turned to the other with a raised eyebrow. "I think I can get one for myself." He said in a clipped voice. This was Neji's house, not Shikamaru's. He knew where to find things here and he'd be damned if he let Shikamaru act as if he didn't.

When he stood up and moved to the kitchen to prepare some tea, Shikamaru called: "While you're at it, get me some water."

Sasuke paused in his steps and turned around to look at Shikamaru with a slightly cloudy expression and a raised eyebrow. Neji had already told him that Shikamaru was as lazy as they came. At first Neji had found it frustrating and Sasuke had been amused. But lately Neji spoke of Shikamaru and his laziness more affectionately and his own amusement had disappeared rather quickly.

After a few moments Shikamaru turned his head to him, an eyebrow raised. "What?"

Sasuke sighed. Surely, Shikamaru wasn't doing these things on purpose just to irritate _him_. The other couldn't be. He was just being suspicious and jealous of a fellow friend of Neji. And why? Because he himself was too much of a coward to confess his own feelings to his friend.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

"Are you sure?" Shikamaru asked. "You seem to be pissed off at something." He added and then frowned, while saying: "At me."

Sasuke sighed. So he had been too obvious. He hadn't meant to be. In fact, he didn't even want to feel this way, this jealous of someone who he knew could never be as important to Neji as he was. But he still was and he just couldn't help it. He hated that.

He shrugged. "I'm sorry it looked that way."

Shikamaru snorted. "Yeah, because it showed on your face, am I right?"

Sasuke swallowed, feeling shocked. He hadn't expected Shikamaru to be this up front. No-one ever was, always accepting an apology without a word so this was new to him. The entire situation was new to him, and he wasn't sure what to do.

There was no way he was going to let the other know that he felt jealous of how close he was to Neji.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke shook his head. "No, because I shouldn't be pissed off." Why, he wondered, was he even having this conversation? Everything – the things Shikamaru said, the way he was looking at him – seemed to suggest that the other somehow knew about his feelings. And that made Sasuke nervous.

"I'll go get our drinks now." He said and turned around, hurrying to the kitchen before Shikamaru had a chance to ask him anything else.

In the small kitchen, while waiting for the water for his tea to boil, Sasuke quietly scolded himself.

He was turning into a fool in love with the way he was acting now. Or maybe a spoiled brat was closer to the truth. Because with his jealous words and angry looks, wasn't he acting like a little child who owned Neji?

Swallowing, he realized it was true in some regard. Neji, just as himself, had never had many friends. And now suddenly – now that he had figured out his own feelings – he needed to share his friend.

"Hey,"

Sasuke startled when suddenly he was spoken to and he turned around to see Shikamaru standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorpost with his hands shoved into his pockets.

At seeing Shikamaru, Sasuke had to keep himself from scowling. What did he want this time?

Shikamaru silently watched him for a few moments and then said: "I hope I wasn't rude."

Rude? Sasuke thought and huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You are a bit now."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru shook his head, the smallest inkling of a smile tugging at his lips. Then he got serious and said: "I wanted to ask you something."

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

"You're in love with Neji, aren't you?"

Sasuke paled slightly at the question. He'd been found out? Shit, he couldn't help but think, and blurted out the first question that came to mind: "Does Neji know?" His eyes widened slightly when the words passed his lips. He hadn't intended to ask that.

Seeming to understand Sasuke's worry rather than make fun of it, Shikamaru shook his head. "No, he doesn't. Not that I know of."

Relaxing slightly at hearing those words, Sasuke nodded. Then, the reality of the situation sunk in and he looked at Shikamaru with slightly widened eyes, demanding: "How did you know?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "The way you've been acting towards me, mostly. So to prevent more troublesome situations, I just wanted to let you know I'm not interested in Neji in that way. Okay?"

Feeling relief flood through him, Sasuke released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Hearing those reassuring words from Shikamaru didn't change much. But it showed him he had been acting like a jerk and had been blaming Shikamaru for things he hadn't done.

For a fleeting moment he apologized but when he looked at Shikamaru he could see at the other's expression that he understood. So instead, he nodded with a barely-there smile on his lips. "Okay."

Shikamaru smirked and nodded, shoulders slouching slightly at the agreement. "Good. Now get your tea ready, I want to see how much I can make you move around in Ami's room."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, feeling more relaxed now that he knew Neji wasn't aware of his feelings and Shikamaru wasn't a... serious threat. "Me? You need more than just words for that, though."

"Oh don't worry. I'm pretty smart."


	7. Theme 055: Waiting

**Note: **Apologies for taking forever to update. I was busy with the last stages of my thesis and I can now proudly say that I graduated! Whooo-hoo!

**055 Waiting**

"This is ridiculous." Sasuke sighed.

Neji glanced up at his friend for a moment before turning back to Ami, who was happily drinking a bottle. "What is?"

"That watching a baby having her milk makes me hungry." Sasuke complained.

Shikamaru snorted and looked at Sasuke, who was sitting next to him on the couch while Neji was seated in a big and comfortable chair. "That [i]is[/i] ridiculous."

Neji chuckled. Ever since having redecorated Ami's room together Sasuke and Shikamaru had been getting along. Neji wasn't sure what was bothering them before and what exactly they'd done or talked about that morning but he was glad they had.

"And whose fault is that?" Sasuke asked, obviously joking but a hint of annoyance was also apparent in his voice.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed. "You decided that I should cook. I did warn you."

Neji huffed. "You call that cooking?" He asked without looking up.

Shikamaru laughed. "Did you even see your 'fridge the past week? There's nothing to cook with unless you count the cabbage on the second shelf but I'm afraid he'll be walking himself into the bin soon."

Neji smirked, knowing exactly what Shikamaru was talking about. And his friend was right. He hadn't cooked himself a proper meal ever since he'd gotten Ami. Instead, someone sometimes did some shopping and then cooked him a meal – mainly Hinata and sometimes Sasuke – but most cases the past week he'd just order take-out. He was simply too busy taking care of Ami to even think about doing groceries before he was already hungry.

"That's still no reason to call ordering thee pizza's cooking." Neji pointed out and pulled away Ami's bottle when she started throwing up little bits of milk. When he cleaned her mouth with a damp cloth she gurgled happily, her opalescent eyes seeming to smile up at her father and he couldn't help but grin at her. Without a doubt she was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

"It isn't." Sasuke agreed, shaking his head. When he saw Neji grin he turned his eyes away. He knew that if he didn't, he would either blush and turn away or ogle his friend with the way he was looking at his daughter in such an adoring way. And with Shikamaru in the same room – sitting right next to him, in fact – that would be quite embarrassing.

Turning to Shikamaru, Sasuke asked: "How long did you say it would take again?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "The guy on the phone said it'd take about half an hour."

With a frown, Sasuke grunted: "Hasn't it been much longer already?"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru shook his head and then smirked at Sasuke. "You're just hungry."

Neji watched his friends bicker with a smirk. He'd always known that being hungry made Sasuke slightly grumpy. But to see Sasuke freely express his grumpiness with Shikamaru around was unusual. It made him happy, though, to know that his friends were getting along.

He shook his head with a chuckle before standing up, holding Ami safely in his arms and looking at his friends. "You two continue that discussion while I put Ami-chan to bed." He said and walked to Ami's room.

The moment Neji was out of ear-shot, Shikamaru turned to look at Sasuke with a smirk. He'd seen the way the other had turned away the moment Neji had grinned at Ami and he just couldn't help himself.

"Cute, isn't it?" He asked.

Sasuke made a choked, surprised sound and those words and he turned to watch Shikamaru. Cute? He thought. But Shikamaru had said he wasn't interested in Neji, right? So what the hell was he talking about? "What?"

"Ami-chan," Shikamaru shrugged with a smirk on his lips. "She's so cute, isn't she?"

"Bastard," Sasuke muttered and turned his head away, feeling embarrassed. He could've known Shikamaru was talking about Ami, couldn't he?

"Bastard?" Shikamaru asked with an raised eyebrow. "What did you think I was talking about to make you say that?" He asked, although it was more teasing than anything else. He knew what Sasuke had been thinking.

Sasuke grumbled softly to himself, realizing he was being teased. And he had to admit that he didn't like it one bit. He also hadn't expected Shikamaru to tease him like this but then again, he didn't know the other all that well. It was true he'd gotten along better with the other now that he knew he wasn't interested in Neji. But that was more his suspicion and jealously being let go than anything else.

Shikamaru grinned at Sasuke's grumbling, finding it quite fun to tease the other for some reason. "I didn't quite catch that."

With a scowl, Sasuke turned to look at Shikamaru. "Are you having fun?" He asked angrily. He couldn't stand the fact that not only was he made fun of, he also felt that his feelings were made fun of. Maybe even taunted.

"Quite a lot." Shikamaru smirked, even though a part of him felt that perhaps that wasn't the right thing to say right now.

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists to keep himself from decking Shikamaru. Who did this guy think he was? First he claimed all of Neji's attention, then he all but forced him to admit his feelings for Neji and now teasing and taunting him with them?

"I never would've thought that Neji would even want to be friends with a bastard like you." He growled at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru's smirk fell from his face and he frowned. "Troublesome," he mumbled and shook his head with a sigh before turning to Sasuke again. "Can't you take a joke?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I don't think you mocking me is funny, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I'm teasing you. You know, like friends do?"

At those words Sasuke realized he might've been overreacting a bit with his angry and harsh words. But that still didn't mean the other could make jokes like the one he'd just made. It was one thing he wouldn't allow for.

Sasuke huffed angrily and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I don't like being teased like that."

Shikamaru snorted. "So I noticed." He said and then chuckled. "So next time I'll just do it when Neji is around."

"What!" Sasuke cried out and was about to angrily tell Shikamaru why the hell he shouldn't do that when Neji walked back into the living-room again.

"Keep it down a bit, okay? Don't want Ami-chan to wake up now that she's finally asleep." Neji said while sitting down in the chair again.

Sasuke flushed slightly at being told to be quiet and when he heard Shikamaru chuckle besides him he turned to look at the other with a frown. Then, he realized he'd been played again and he scowled. "Bastard."

And while Neji could only frown and wonder what the hell happened, Shikamaru laughed.

**Note for those that haven't read it in Cage of Ink yet:**  
>So, some of you may have noticed that there's a reporting-spree going on here on . It's not the first time it happened and this time, people that are reported are even bullied. Now, I am firmly against bullying and it got me thinking of leaving in due time, because do I really want to be associated with a website like that? I have an AO3 account that I will now fill with the not so crappy stories I have on here and then, perhaps, use that as my "main fanfiction" website. But, I don't just want to stop posting here. I want to know what you (my readers) think of it. So, if I were to move to AO3, would you go with me or not?<p> 


	8. Theme 077: Test

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**077 Test**

Two weeks after finding out about Ami's existence, Neji figured it was time to get back to work again.

Hinata said he was crazy for doing that. She reasoned that Neji should stay with Ami as much as he could, and going back to work after two weeks wasn't doing that.

Hiashi had merely said that if Neji needed any time off, all he needed to do was ask and he'd be free from work. It was the up-side of being family of your boss. And Neji had actually taken his uncle up on his offer, asking if he could work part-time for now.

It was only then that Neji realized that while he worked only three days a week, he'd still need a baby-sitter for Ami on those three days. And before he could even so much as ask for the name of a good baby-sitter, Hinata and Shikamaru had already offered him their services.

Now, Monday had come and Neji stood in the doorway of Shikamaru's apartment, reluctant to leave. He knew his friend would take good care of his daughter and at least he had experience when it came to looking after a baby. Shikamaru even offered to send him an updated every now and then. But that didn't mean Neji wasn't nervous about leaving Ami with someone while going off to work himself.

"I should really go now." Neji looked up at Shikamaru with a bit of an sheepish smile. "I'm just being stupid."

Shikamaru smirked. "Don't worry, this is perfectly normal."

Neji frowned. "Yeah, it just sucks."

Shikamaru gave his friend a small smile. "I know." He merely said.

Neji nodded and took a breath. "Right, so I'll see you after work."

Shikamaru nodded and then smirked. "Want me to have dinner ready?" He teased.

With a snort, Neji leaned down to pick up his bulking messenger-bag. "As long as you're cooking."

When he left, he pointedly ignored the "have a good day, honey" Shikamaru hollered through the hallway.

It was a little over ten when Neji got his first e-mail from Shikamaru.

He immediately dropped the case-file he was working on to check it out – earning himself a few raised eyebrows from co-workers.

She's being a good girl. Ate most of what she should have and is now sleeping. How is work?

Shikamaru had even attached a photo to the e-mail. When he saw the picture of Ami sleeping in her soft-yellow and soft-pink pyjamas, he couldn't keep a smile from coming to his face. But at the same time, he also felt guilty for being at work while he now had a daughter that depended on him to be taken care of. Granted, Shikamaru was looking after her now and by the looks of it he was doing a good job. But he was her father and even though he hadn't expected to feel this way, he just wanted to go home and be with her now.

He knew he couldn't. He had to get used to working and leaving Ami with a sitter sooner or later and it would suck anyway. So since he was actually at work now he wasn't about to dump his stuff and race home to be with Ami.

When he got another e-mail from Shikamaru around eleven thirty – again with photo-attachment – he felt like taking the afternoon off even more. Never one to give up, though, he didn't go home.

Instead, he called Sasuke.

When Neji entered the lunchroom, Sasuke was already there, waiting for him at something what used to be their usual table.

Back when they'd barely been out of school and had both just started working at their family company, they met at this lunchroom at least twice a week. Seeing each other only twice a week was way less than their college days, when they shared a dorm-room, but at least they still saw each other regularly. But, both of them being a relative in a family-business, working-life had gotten increasingly busier quite quickly. And just like that their visits had only been weekly and from then on it hadn't taken long before they just didn't meet on a regular basis anymore. Life had gotten into the way of their friendship. And while they still saw each other often enough and considered each other a best friend, it wasn't the same as their college days anymore.

Although Neji felt that with Ami around he'd see more and more of his friend since it meant he'd become more dependable on others. He couldn't raise his daughter just on his own, after all.

"Hi," Sasuke gave Neji a small smile when he walked up to the table. "I ordered us both a coffee and I figured we wouldn't need a menu."

Neji sat down opposite of his friend and chuckled. "Nah, I already know what I'm going to get."

Sasuke nodded and then looked around the lunchroom. "We should try to make a habit of this again."

"We should. It's just been busy." Neji said in an attempt to make an unneeded excuse for the both of them.

Sasuke smirked. "I think with Ami-chan it'll only be busier."

Neji shrugged. "Well I work three days a week now so that's three lunches to share with you without Ami and another four with her around."

Sasuke chuckled. "I'll hold you to it. So, how are you? This being your first day at work and all that."

Neji made a bit of a face at the question. "It's all very strange. I mean, I knew it would be this way. It's common knowledge that you miss your child when you're apart from them, after all. But still..."

"Yeah," Sasuke gave his friend a somewhat wary smile. "I can only try to imagine." He paused then the waitress came by with their coffee and they both gave her their lunch orders. When she left, Sasuke looked at his friend – only slightly curious – and asked: "So, how many times have you wanted to go home to check up on her."

Neji sighed. "All the time. It's frustrating."

Sasuke smirked. "And thus you call me to keep your mind off things."

Neji's eyes widened slightly. "No, it's not like that." He then flushed slightly in embarrassment, knowing Sasuke was right, though. "Well, not exactly..."

Sasuke chuckled at his friend's embarrassment. "It's okay. I told you I wanted to help in any way I could."

"Good," Neji admitted with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I'll need it."

Sasuke chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee before shaking his head. "I don't know anything about babies."

Amused, Neji shook his head. "I know, but you know me and in a moment like this, that's more important."

Sasuke couldn't help himself and smiled brightly at those words, relieved Neji still felt like he needed him. "That's good to know."

**Note: **Whooo, another one!

Now, I know some (if not most) will probably think that Neji going back to work again after 2 weeks is a bit quick. I'm inclined to agree but all I could think was: "Come on, this is Neji! He would so do this..." so, there you have it.

And~ I'm going on holiday this Monday so no more posts (well, aside the other 3 I've planned) until I get back from touring Lyon, Milan, Zürich and Copenhagen.


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